Chapter 1151: Era of Gradual Change

By Sanjiu YinyuWord Count: 1284

Ring, ring, ring—

A light rain was falling, and a phone in Shen Nan's pocket rang incessantly, but he seemed not to hear it.

The phone screen flickered on and off, displaying a contact note in the center, buzzing with the phone's vibration:Director Sun, Bureau 749.

Only when he was completely away from the old house and no one was around did Shen Nan press the answer button.

"…Hello?"

"Shen Nan, do you know what you're doing?" a low, middle-aged man's voice came from the other end of the line. "I've been calling you for half the day, and you haven't picked up. If you don't answer this time, your name will be on the blacklist soon."

"But I *did* answer, didn't I…" Shen Nan replied vaguely.

"Where are you?"

"I went back to my hometown… What's wrong?"

"Tell me the truth," Director Sun paused. "What is your relationship with 'Ghost Mocking the World'?"

Shen Nan, holding an umbrella, glanced in the direction of the old house and let out a long sigh.

"There's no relationship…"

"You saved him in front of so many people, and you say there's no relationship?"

"I sensed the potential of Nuo in him, so I didn't want him to die like that. I talked to him privately… You know the result; our conversation broke down, and he was shattered by a missile on the cliff. That's how it happened." Shen Nan's tone was very calm, as if he had almost forgotten the incident.

"…Do you know how many people in the bureau are unhappy with you right now? If I hadn't withstood all the pressure to protect you, you'd be on your way to arrest by now… And yet, you didn't answer my calls for half the day."

"I know I was wrong, Director Sun." Shen Nan chuckled drily.

"…Putting that aside, I'm calling you about something else this time."

"What?"

"In two days, the Wushan Convention. You must be there."

Shen Nan was startled and asked, puzzled, "Is it the Intangible Cultural Heritage Exchange Conference? Why was it moved to Wushan… And, isn't it too early this year?"

"For certain reasons, the convention has been moved up," Director Sun's tone was extremely serious. "This convention is different from previous years… All registered owners of the Divine Path are required to attend, especially you. Everyone else in the bureau has strong opinions about you right now, so don't mess this up, understand?"

"…I understand."

Shen Nan hung up the phone, his gaze passing through the raindrops sliding off the umbrella's edge, towards the distant, dim, and misty sky… Director Sun's mysterious tone and the inexplicably early Wushan Convention, for some reason, filled him with an ominous feeling.

"The phone won't connect…"

Lu Xun put down his phone. Three consecutive missed call notifications glowed on the screen, and his expression was grim.

Without Chu Changqing's help, Lu Xun would have had great difficulty escaping the lab and seeking Chen Ling's assistance… If his departure led Chu Changqing into a dangerous situation, Lu Xun would be consumed by guilt.

"It seems his situation isn't good," Chen Ling said slowly.

"Lu Xun, don't you know Bureau 749's director? Why not call him directly and question him?" Su Zhiwei frowned deeply.

"…No, that won't work." Lu Xun's thoughts were clear.

"If Bureau 749 truly targeted Chu Changqing, calling Director Sun now would only alert them… It would be troublesome if they secretly transferred him."

"Exactly." Chen Ling nodded slightly. "Now, besides ourselves, no one can be trusted."

Chen Ling didn't have a good impression of Bureau 749. He hadn't heard of this organization in the post-cataclysm era, which suggested it hadn't made any significant contributions during the Great Cataclysm. This was certainly not the time for everyone to sit down and chat peacefully…

Chen Ling's objective was simple: retrieve Nanhai Jun, ensure his safety, and bring him to their side.

After a brief discussion, everyone reached a consensus and quickly got into the car.

"Where's Shen Nan?" Su Zhiwei asked, puzzled, after settling into the back seat, only then realizing she hadn't seen him yet.

"He's not coming with us."

Chen Ling settled into the driver's seat and lightly slapped the car's surface. Electricity coursed through the vehicle, instantly transforming a regular sedan into a 12-cylinder performance beast. A light press on the pedal unleashed a monstrous roar.

Through the rearview mirror, Chen Ling glanced at the hazy sky behind them.

"For him, the less he's involved with us, the safer he'll be."

"Indeed…"

Chen Ling drove the car directly out of the village. Along the way, many villagers looked on in confusion, but since Chen Ling had drastically modified the car's appearance, no one knew when it had arrived. They simply watched, puzzled, as the taillights vanished into the misty rain.

Chen Ling continued straight along the main road, then suddenly turned to look at Lu Xun in the passenger seat.

"Dr. Lu, you should know the lab's location, right?"

"Yes, but I'm not very familiar with the route into the city from here… Hold on, I'll turn on the navigation."

As he spoke, Lu Xun pulled out his phone and quickly swiped his fingers, seemingly searching for something.

A moment later, his brows furrowed tightly, and he let out a soft exclamation of surprise.

"What's wrong?"

"That's strange… Why isn't the navigation working?" Lu Xun rolled down the window and held his phone out. "It clearly has a signal…"

Hearing this, Yang Xiao raised an eyebrow in surprise. He held out his hand and said, "Let me see."

Lu Xun handed the phone to Yang Xiao, who fiddled with it for a moment before his brows also furrowed.

"It's not a network signal issue… The satellite signal is lost."

"Why would the satellite signal suddenly have a problem?" Su Zhiwei also looked at the phone. "Try a different navigation app?"

"I tried, it's no use… It's not a single satellite that's having issues; all satellite signals are gone, as if… all satellites broke down at the same time."

Although Yang Xiao specialized in magnetic field theory, he was also at a loss regarding the current situation.

"Yang Xiao is right; we're not the only ones encountering this problem."

Chen Ling's voice suddenly broke the silence.

Everyone looked up simultaneously. On both sides of the road leading into the city, numerous cars were parked, having appeared at some unknown time.

Yellow hazard lights flickered sporadically in the mist. Groups of figures walked back and forth along the roadside, holding their phones high, occasionally muttering curses, as if venting their frustration at their navigation apps.

Chen Ling slowed down, driving carefully through the stream of flashing hazard lights…

It became clear that modern drivers had largely lost their ability to navigate without directions; without GPS guidance, moving through complex city traffic was almost impossible.

"The satellite signal should come back soon, right?" Lu Xun's brows were tightly furrowed. "Otherwise… half of the ground transportation will be paralyzed."

The pulsating hazard lights around them reflected in Chen Ling's deep eyes. He didn't answer the question but calmly shifted the gear to the fastest 'S' mode…

"We need to hurry."